Desperately Seeking the Perfect Spring Pant? This Might Be It

Is there a less-romantic garment to shop for than pants? I think not. Because unless you’re perfectly proportional and of “average” height, chances are, you’ve spent way too much time and energy (and maybe money) finding the perfect pair. Or perhaps you’re still looking. Maybe your waist is way smaller than your hips, or your legs are too long (or too short) for “normal” inseams, or you’ve been blessed with an extra-round backside. Maybe you avoid buying pants altogether, because you can’t be bothered to get them altered—a truth this writer will admit to. (Jeans, at least, can be DIY’d with sharp scissors.)

Pants trends are fickle, too, so by the time you find the perfect groovy flares or tapered trousers, you may not even want them anymore. Things are getting a little easier in 2018, though. For the past few seasons, the only pants worth having have been of the high-waisted, wide-leg variety. They’re usually cropped, too, so petite girls don’t have to worry about hemming them, and the combination of a high, nipped waist and full trousers elongates your shape and creates balance (all while injecting your look with a delightful touch of weirdness). There are a few dozen options on the market right now, but none look quite as good as Maria Stanley’s new Luna pant—the first “real” pant the Los Angeles designer has ever made. “My clients come to me for vintage-inspired blouses, so I wanted to give them something to pair with them,” Stanley says. “They needed a throw-on-for-any-occasion pant that’s a little ’60s-inspired, with a fit [that is] friendly for the modern woman.”

That means they don’t have a side seam, so they’re extra-flattering on the hips. They also come with double tortoiseshell buttons; subtly flared, but not too wide legs; a just-right rise that hits the tiniest part of your waist; and pockets that “cup,” rather than flatten, your assets. “The subtleties in these pants are what makes them special,” Stanley says. In supersoft cotton, they have a little give, too. “They don’t make you feel like you need to suck [your stomach] in the entire time,” she adds, only half-jokingly. That’s a legitimate concern with this silhouette, especially if it’s in a punishing fabric like raw or non-stretch denim. Sure, that rigid style looks great, but if you can’t sit down or eat, what are you doing to yourself? “These babies went through countless fittings on me, my patternmaker, and my friends before they were declared perfect,” Stanley insists. “I don’t solely depend on models for fit, and there is no better way to get honest feedback than by sending real girls out into the world in your clothes.”

If that sounds pretty perfect to you, the Lunas are available now on Stanley’s website for $284. The palette ranges from ivory, pale gray, and black to modern neutrals like ginger (a mustard-y yellow) and clay, with more to come. See how to style them with her best-selling Victorian blouses and boleros, above, then snag yours before they sell out.